For the last 15 years, Kinston Pawn and Jewelry has been providing area residents with short-term loans and low prices on electronics and other items.

Manager James Smith said the function of a pawn shop is to be a place where people can come get money, either by pawning an item to secure a loan or selling to the shop outright. If a person decides to pawn their item, Smith said they are given a short-term loan and then have 90 days to repay the loan and get their item back.

Smith said the most common items he sees come into the store are TVs and jewelry, but every now and then he will get an out-of-the-ordinary item.

“I once had somebody bring in a case of shampoo,” he said.

Smith said the shop also buys a lot of gold, and pays customers more than anyone else on the East Coast.

“We generally do anywhere from 50 to 65 percent of the value,” he said. “Most pawn shops only do 30 percent.”

Smith said he believes there are a lot of misconceptions about pawn shops.

“People think thieves and criminals come here a lot,” he said, “but that’s not what it’s about. We are here for when you need a loan and can’t get one at the bank.”

Smith said he works with the Kinston Department of Public Safety to make sure if a stolen item comes in, that it gets back to the right person.

He said the shop has been successful, and three years ago it was able to expand, moving from a smaller building to its current location. In addition, a second store, Payday Jewelry Music & Pawn, was opened. He attributes the achievement to the support of people in the community.

“The community has always been good to us,” he said, “and we try to give back as much as we can.”

Kinston Pawn and Jewelry is located at 211 W. Vernon Ave.; its hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call 252-523-7846.

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Square, a mobile payment system company based in San Francisco, has introduced Square Market, an online marketplace for businesses to sell everything from handmade jewelry, housewares and merchandise, to yoga lessons and beauty services.

Square Market provides local businesses across the U.S. the ability to sell their products throughout the country to anyone, anywhere.

Square has enabled millions of businesses to use the Square Reader and free Square Register app on their mobile device to process payments, run and grow their business.

Now sellers can reach more customers and sell more goods by setting up in the Square Market.

“We’re focused on making easy-to-use tools for merchants that create an incredible experience for their customers — no matter where they are,” said Ajit Varma, Square’s director of discovery. “Creating an online marketplace is our next step in making commerce easy for everyone. Square Market makes local businesses accessible to customers down the block and across the country."

Sellers no longer need to spend money on expensive website development, complicated fees or complex inventory management. Square Market enables anyone to open a store for free with items, photos and a profile for their business.

Sellers can post items directly to Twitter for their followers to discover and share. Square offers one low fee of 2.75 percent per item sold and there is no charge to list items.

Many Square businesses are already selling their items in the Square Market.

For information, visit squareup.com/market.

Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com. Follow him on twitter at @nclark763.